[NEW RELEASES] WILKO JOHNSON AND ROGER DALTREY

WILKO JOHNSON AND ROGER DALTREY,“Going Back Home", Label: Chess, Genre: Rock

Wilko Johnson, former guitarist of rabble-rousing 1970s British rockers Dr. Feelgood, is enjoying a bittersweet late-career surge.

Last year Johnson was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer. Vowing to rock until the end, he set out on a farewell tour.

And finally the world is taking notice. There have been sold-out shows, a slot at this summer’s Glastonbury Festival and now an album with Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who.

Inspired by a shared love of early British rockers like Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, “Going Back Home” is deliberately rough-edged and retro - even the label, Chess Records, is a heritage brand resurrected for the release.

Recorded in a week with producer Dave Eringa and Johnson’s touring band, its 11 tracks include 10 Johnson compositions, from the Feelgood days through his solo career.

The title track sets the tone of robust, rocking R&B. Daltrey growls lustily over Johnson’s choppy riffs and it’s spiced with lashings of dirty harmonica.

AP